Iceberg season expected to be a good one in off Newfoundland

A tour boat approaches an iceberg off the Northern Peninsula in 2018. Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, along with tourists, will be delighted to know 2019 is expected to be a busy iceberg season. - Contributed

When David Boyd was a younger lad, he hated to see the ice roll in around Tizzard's Harbour.

The icebergs floating in the bay and farther out the Atlantic meant more hassle than profits, especially during crab season.

When they came into view, there was a chance they could cut the trap lines leaving their catch at the bottom of the ocean.

"An iceberg was the last thing we wanted to see," said Boyd.

Fast-forward a couple of decades and his thought around icebergs has changed somewhat. There is still the fear of having his gear damaged by the bergs – Boyd said some crab fishermen currently have their gear trapped in the water – but now he sees those large chunks of arctic ice differently.

From May to whenever the icebergs go away, Boyd operates Captain Dave's Boat and Whale Watching Tours out of Twillingate.

He offers iceberg tours of waters in his area and he figures this season could go a bit longer than the last one. In 2018, he offered his last iceberg tour in late July.

"It is early to have so many icebergs in the area," said Boyd. "There is always icebergs around but it is unusual to see so many."